Improvement in nail-assorters



s. M. & 0.-B.H0WARD1 v Nail-Ass0rter..

No. 196,456. Patented Oct. 23,1877.v

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrron STANTON M. HOWARD AND CYRUS B. HOWARD, OFVVHEELING, W. VA.

IMPROVEMENT IN NAl L-ASSORTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 196,456, dated October23, 1877; application filed June 25, 1877.

- To all whom it may concern:

and CYRUS B. HOWARD, of WVheeling, in the coinity of Ohio and State ofWVest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments inScreens; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates particularly to screens for use in the manufactureof nails; and it consists of two cylinders, one fitting closely withinthe other, and each constructed with longitudinal slats or bars, oftriangular or curved shaped steel, placed about half an inch apart, andsecured to rings at each end in such a way that the faces of the bars ofeach cylinder fit closely together, and pass one directly over theother, the two cylinders being connected together in such manner thatthe spaces intervening between the corresponding slats of the two maybegraduated to any desired distance apart to adapt the apparatus for usewith different-sized nails, this being readily accomplished by simplymoving the inner cylinder around sufficiently for the edges of the barsto pass the edge of those in the outer cylinder, thus reducing the spacebetween them until the required size slot is obtained, all ashereinafter, more fully and at large, will appear.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a screenconstructedaccording to our invention attached to a nail-bluing furnace.Fig. 2 is a transverse section, and Fig. 3 a sectional side view, of thecylinder-screen. -Fig. 4 shows another form of the apparatus.

A B are the two cylinders, one, B, fitting closely within the other,each being provided with bands or hoops a b at their ends, to which aresecured bars or slats 0 (I. These bars or slats are arranged parallel toeach other, and at any suitable distances apart, those, 0, of the outercylinder being secured to the outside of the bands a, and those, (1', ofthe inner cylinder to the inside of the bands I).

The corresponding faces of the interior and exterior slats are made tofit closelytogether, V

in order to prevent refuse material from entering or finding lodgmentbetween the two cylinders. Their opposite faces are curved, as shown, orthey may be made triangular, for the purposes hereinafter set forth.

0 is a setscrew secured to the inner cylinder, and working in a slot, f,in the outer cylder, by which the two cylinders are adjusted and securedin relation to each other. I

0 represents a nail-bluing furnace; D, the receptacle for imperfectnails and refuse, and E the receptacle for perfect nails.

The inner cylinder turns freely within the outer one, (or the reversemethod may be adopted,) so that the distances between their respectiveslats may be varied at pleasure by a partial rotation of one or theother, being set farther apart for large and nearer together for smallnails, and when the required adjustment is attained they are clampedfirmly together by the set-screw e, or'other equivalent means, andretained in that position until it is desired to reset the apparatus tooperate upon a different class of nails.

The end of the screen nearest the nail-receptacle E is set somewhatlower than the other, the inclination being varied according to the sizeof nail operated on.

The operation is as follows: The two cylin ders being adjusted andclamped together, as above described, a rotary motion is imparted to thescreen. The nails passing from the .bluing-furnace enter the upper endof the screen, where the imperfect nails, slivers, and refuseimmediately drop through the openings between the slats, and fall intothe trough or box D, the rounded or angular shape of the slatsfacilitating their discharge, while the p erfect nails are retainedwithin the screen by the slats, which do not permit their heads to passthrough, and, making their way to the lower end, are finally dischargedinto the nail-receptacle E.

The screen may be attached to the bluingfurnace, as shown, to pick thenails during the operation of annealing. It maybe attached with suitablegearing to the nail-machine, to screen the nails as they comefrom thecutting knife; or it may be used separate from either,

mounted on a suitable frame, to pick cold nails before they pass to theannealingfurnace.

In Fig. 4 We have shown the screen as made fiat instead of round,composed of two screens, fitting and connected together, but adapted tobe adjusted by sliding one over the other.

This form of screen is used, in connection with the nail-cuttingmachine, to receive the nails as they are severed by the cutter.

Instead of making the screen flat, it may be made semi-cylindrical, asshown by the dotted lines w m, Fig. 2, accomplishing the same result.

The object of making the bars triangular .or convex is to cause theimmediate discharge of the imperfect nails, slivers, scales, &c., andcompel the perfect nails to enter the slots.

As the nails are screened by the heads, and not by their bulk, theremust be no square edges or flat intervening surfaces for the nail toreston and catch with its broad head and revolve with the cylinderalmost around, and then drop on other nails, and perhaps run outentirely without being subjected to the test of passing the openings;therefore, the 1) rs must be made either triangular or convex, and notflat.

Were the bars made fiat, a lodginent for the nails, slivers, 850., ismade, and they fall back again and again as the cylinder revolves With.-out striking an opening in proper line or shape to fall through andhang, if perfect. Thus the nails could not be thoroughly screened.

We claim as our invention- 1. In a cylindrical revolving nail-screen,the bars 0 d,11 1ade uniform throughout their length, with flat opposingfaces fitting flush together, and curved or triangular shaped outsidefaces, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The nail-screen consisting of the double cylinder A B, one fittingclosely Within the other, and each composed of parallel triangular orcom 'eX-shaped bars c (I, secured'to-bands a b at each end, in such amanner that the op posing faces of the bars of each cylinder, fit closetogether, and pass one over the other, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

STANTON M. HOWARD. CYRUS B. HOVAHD.

Witnesses: ARCHIE P. PAXTON, EDGAR F. HAY.

